South Side doubles up VSN

South Side rode an opportunistic defense and the legs of senior Jonny Pickett to a big victory on a rainy Homecoming Day.

Senior Jimmy Barrett recovered two fumbles, including one for what proved to be the decisive touchdown, and Pickett rushed for 126 yards to lead host South Side to a 24-12 victory over Valley Stream North last Saturday.

South Side improved to 2-3 in Conference III after losing consecutive games to Hewlett and Roosevelt. Valley Stream North dropped to 1-4 and has lost two straight after posting its only victory of the season against Roslyn.

“We knew that if we played our best that we would be able to take care of business,” South Side head coach Phil Onesto said. “We know we have to run the table to get a chance at the playoffs, but we’ve got a lot to clean up before next week.” 

The tone of the game was immediately set on the opening kickoff. Valley Stream North muffed the short boot by junior Pierce Fine, and the fumble was recovered by South Side’s Patrick Leach at the Spartans’ 31. Six plays later, Fine kicked a 22-yard field goal to open the scoring.

“Any time you get an extra possession and turn them into points, it’s a plus,” Onesto said.

South Side scored again on its next possession when senior quarterback Shane Batyr connected with senior Joe LiCalzi on an 11-yard touchdown strike that helped the Cyclones take a 10-0 lead with 6:26 left in the opening quarter.

With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, the Spartans botched a shotgun snap deep in their own territory and Barrett recovered the fumble in the end zone and the Cyclones took a 17-0 lead into intermission. Junior Tygah Scott sacked Valley Stream North junior quarterback John Ruddick for a 15-yard loss on the previous play.

“The front four played like studs all day long,” Barrett said of the defensive line. “Coach drew up a great game plan and we just executed it.”

Barrett also showed off his throwing skills when he completed an 11-yard pass on a fake punt to senior John Grandazza with just under two minutes left in the second quarter, but the drive stalled when Valley Stream North sophomore Joe Gisonda intercepted his second pass of the afternoon deep in Spartan territory.

“Jim is our emotional leader,” Onesto said. “He’s the captain. He gets the guys fired up. When he’s going at full tilt, we’re in a good situation.”

The Cyclones increased their lead to 24 points on Batyr’s one-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Kyle Martriano. Pickett was the workhorse during the 73-yard march, carrying the ball seven times for 60 yards, including runs of 25, 16 and 12. “It was just getting the ball, hitting the hole and following the blockers,” Pickett said. “We just did what we had to do in the second half.”

Ruddick threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Gisonda and senior Nick Casatelli to cap the scoring. “It took us a little while to get going, longer than we normally would to be efficient,” Ruddick said. “We just didn’t come out strong out of the gates today.”